Geekend Day 2 The Flash

Geekend – Day 2 – The Flash

 

Day two started out quietly at home.  Breakfast was egg sandwiches with Muenster Cheese and Turkey Bacon.  Lunch, Turkey Tacos.  George had been bugging me about seeing Halloween III (Season of the Witch).  This was really the only one I felt comfortable with him seeing at the tender age of 12.  I coincidentally was up to number 3 in my rewatching so it came at the right time.  Victoria, who had no interest in any of these kinds of movies, told us to go ahead and watch it and she’d watch something else in her room.  It’s not a horrible film but it isn’t that great either.  I am probably going to be reviewing the entire series under separate cover so I will stop there.  We ended up meeting the kids’ mom by her office to drop Victoria off before George and I headed into Hollywood (I have to admit there were a few moments of sensory memory as the only other time I had been to that office was the night of The Event – see The Widowmaker).

 

When the Flash premiered all those years ago I was a bit skeptical.  Flash was my third favorite DC comic (after Batman and Superman).  Loved the stories, loved the villains, hated the outcome of the Crisis on Infinite Universes.  So I was very interested in how this would play out (I couldn’t wait to see the costume condense into that ring).  Well, other than the ring, I was pleasantly surprised.  The casting was great.  John Wesley Shipp carried the character and the show with the right mix of hero and humor.  Really like the supporting cast and just the whole look.  They managed to make a comic book look real, yet still maintain the sense of a comic book.  And, the special effects were truly amazing.  Like in 1978 when I believed a man could fly, I believed he was the fastest man alive.  Also really enjoyed the villains and was pleasantly surprised by Mark Hamill’s performance as the Trickster.  Along the way they added Joyce Hyser in a couple of episodes who I had been in love with since Just One of the Guys.  Didn’t hurt at all.  And then as fast as he came on the scene, Flash disappeared. You can imagine how happy I was when it the show came out on DVD.  Still held up to my memories.  Then the new Flash came out.  What a great show!! And there’s my “old pal” John Wesley Shipp.  Initially it seemed like just a bit of stunt casting but no.  He is the perfect man to play Barry’s dad.  And then I read on Face Book that there will be a 25 year celebration.  I had to go.  I checked with George (who I thought wouldn’t be too excited as he had never seen the original Flash).  He jumped at the chance.

 

The evening did not disappoint.  First, while on line waiting to get in Mr. Shipp passed us and said Hi to the group waiting to see him.  My inner geek started to show itself.  We saw two episodes, both with the Trickster, both with Ms. Hyser.  Wonderful memories started surfacing.  Then the panel came out.  Mr. Shipp, Ms. Hyser (still hot, gotta say), producers, creators, other actors, production guys, and yes, even Mark Hamill (I knew he’d be there, but still . . .The inner geek was out and grinning and laughing and clapping and having such a great time. 

 

A brief moment on Mark Hamill.  Before Star Wars came out he was dong a lot of talk shows.  Everyone he talked about how much he loved fantasy and science fiction and how he watched King Kong every day for a week when it was on a local station.  Ho Hum, enough already.  Whatever (Jealous, much?)  I thought he was a good Luke Skywalker.  Never gushed over him.  When I saw him as the Trickster and heard him voicing the Joker, I finally gave him (in my mind) the credit he probably deserved all along.  I actually appreciated watching the growth of the character he played in the Star Wars films.  And major kudos to his appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.  In 2005 I was able to go to the LA premiere of Revenge of the Sith and when he walked past me in the lobby, yep, inner Geek came out.  I mean, c’mon, I was just feet away from Luke Skywalker!!

 

The festivities in Hollywood ended and George and I went home.  Talking most of the way about our experience and how cool it was to see all of those people and hear those great stories.  What a great middle day of the Geekend.